Holy Roman Emperor Will Stay in Australia

Coolmore in Australia has bowed to broodmare pressure and will not be sending former Champion galloper Holy Roman Emperor (Danehill-L'on Vite) back home as was widely reported last week.

The European two-time group I winner is instead out of quarantine and is heading to the stud's New South Wales farm to cover mares for the remainder of the year. Joining him will be the stud's ace-in-the-hole Encosta de Lago (Fairy King-Shoal Creek), who had also been locked away in quarantine for the first four weeks of the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

"Such was the demand for the horse that we simply had to bring him to the farm," explained Coolmore Australia's general manager Michael Kirwan. "As one of the best-credentialed sons of Danehill anywhere in the world — and certainly the best-credentialed first-crop stallion at stud in Australia this season, Holy Roman Emperor has proven immensely popular amongst broodmare-owners. It’s been a difficult time for everyone and at the end of the day we didn’t want to let down his big band of supporters.

"He will also help alleviate the pressure on some of the other stallions, all of which are doing their best to make up for lost time."

Fusaichi Pegasus has been a big winner as a result of EI, having covered many of Australia's best mares while his barn mates were locked down at Eastern Creek's quarantine center.